Today, on October 10, 2024, a new square named after Anna Politkovskaya, a journalist of Novaya Gazeta, who was killed in 2006, appeared in the list of many squares and streets in Hamburg.

The decision to name one of the squares of Hamburg in honor of the Russian journalist was made by the authorities of Hamburg.

The opening ceremony of the square was organized by the Zeit Stiftung Bucerius Foundation, which supports independent journalists.

Anna's son, Ilya Politkovsky, took part in the event.

The city authorities were represented at the ceremony by the first persons of the city: First Mayor Peter Tschentscher and Senator of Culture and Mass Media Carsten Brosda. Both are directly related to the Hamburg Foundation for Politically Persecuted, of which I was lucky enough to be a guest. Dr. Peter Tschentscher is the chairman of the Hamburg Foundation for Politically Persecuted, and Dr. Carsten Brosda holds the position of Managing Director.

The ceremony was attended by a delegation of Anna Politkovskaya's colleagues in journalism, led by Kirill Martynov, editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta Europa newspaper. Novaya Gazeta Europa was the first media outlet to publish a report from the commemorative event.

After a short official part, the participants of the ceremony proceeded to the square, where Anna Politkovskaya Square was solemnly opened, laid flowers at the memorial stone, on which the immortal words of Anna Politkovskaya are carved: "If I stop writing, know that my enemies have achieved their goal." Unfortunately, on October 7, 2006, Anna stopped writing, and her brave and caring heart stopped beating.

The perpetrators of Anna's murder have not been named so far. Streets in Georgian Tbilisi and Italian Ferrara, a park in Karlovy Vary and a garden in Milan and an alley in Prague were previously named after Anna Politkovskaya. Hamburg Square became the second named after Anna. Earlier in Paris, one of the squares of the city was named after Anna Politkovskaya. Unfortunately, the memory of Anna Politkovskaya is much more modestly perpetuated in Russia. Only in Moscow, in Potapovsky Lane, on the building of the Novaya Gazeta editorial office, a memorial plaque of Anna Politkovskaya was unveiled in 2013.

Despite the weekday and the early time of the ceremony (10 a.m.), people who share a common historical homeland with Anna came to the grand opening of the square, among them were my colleagues from the informal Russian-speaking movement "Anti-War Hamburg".

Now, in addition to Tchaikovsky Square in Hamburg, there is another name that caresses the Russian ear - Anna Square Politkovskaya.

Photo 1. Address plate of Anna Politkovskaya Square on the background of the flag of the Free and Hanseatic city of Hamburg;

Photo 2. Memorial stone of Anna Politkovskaya;

Photo 3. Anna Politkovskaya's immortal words are carved in stone;

Photo 4. From left to right: Carsten Brosda, Ilya Politkovsky, Peter Tschentscher;

Photo 5. There was a queue of people who wanted to lay flowers;

Photo 6. First Mayor Peter Tschentscher and Senator Carsten Brosda lay flowers at the memorial stone;

Photo 7. Flower-laying ceremony;

Photo 8. Kirill Martynov, editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta Europa;

Photo 9. Alexander Goncharenko at the memorial stone of Anna Politkovskaya;

Photo 10. Anna Politkovskaya's memorial stone in flowers;

Photo 11. This is what Anna Politkovskaya Square in Hamburg looks like now.

October 10, 2024

Alexander Goncharenko, Russian political emigrant

Tonight one of the telegram channels reported the sad news. Ildar Dadin was killed in the fighting near Kharkiv.

Ildar's fate touched me only tangentially, but I took his death personally.

Ildar Dadin was the first person to be convicted in Russia under Article 212.1 of the Criminal Code - ‘repeated violation of the established order for organising or holding a rally’. This article later received the unofficial name ‘Dadin's’.

In December 2015, Dadin was sentenced to 3 years in prison.

In September 2016, Ildar was sent to serve his sentence in a penal colony in Karelia.

Apparently due to an innate craving for the truth, such a one will not keep silent, Ildar had bad relations with the colony's management. In the zone he was repeatedly tortured and tormented by the colony staff.

Ildar miraculously managed to pass a letter to his wife through his lawyer, in which he told about the torture in the colony.  

The letter was published in the media and attracted public attention and the leadership of the FSIN (Federal Penal Enforcement Service) decided to transfer Dadin to one of the colonies in the Altai region.

Ildar's stage was difficult and lasted almost 1 month. When a prisoner is on the stage, relatives are not informed where he is and how he is. Therefore, relatives, friends and the public were very worried about Ildar.

Ildar's wife Anastasia Zotova wrote me a letter on Facebook on 26 December 2016: ‘...Help me find out if Ildar was really sent to Altai Krai!’.

At that time, I had already resigned, not only as chairman of the Public Supervisory Commission (PSC) of Altai Krai, but also as a member of the commission.

During the eight years that I had been chairman of the POC, I had done a lot of ‘bloodshed’ for the prison guards in Altai. Once the head of the Department of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation for Altai Krai, Alexei Kulik, said: ‘Ilyich, they (FSIN) fear you more than the prosecutor.’

Therefore, in this situation, it would be naive to expect that the FSIN would make an exception for the ex-chairman of the Altai Krai DNC and truthfully inform about Ildar Dadin.

Nevertheless, from other sources we managed to get information about the date of Ildar's arrival to the correctional colony No. 5 (IK-5) in Rubtsovsk. Rubtsovsk.

Fortunately, at that time the ONC of Altai Krai had members who were not affiliated with the security forces: Alexei Belous, Vyacheslav Filippov, Vyacheslav Berishev, Nina Saybert, Oleg Karsakov and Olga Fotieva.

They promptly travelled to Ildar's colony and then, despite the distance (300 km from Barnaul to Rubtsovsk) visited the colony several times. The JNC members gave moral support to Ildar and monitored the observance of his rights.

It was flattering that after his release from the colony Ildar Dadin, in an interview with journalists, spoke favourably about the conditions in Rubtsovsk penal colony-5.

This was also an assessment of our labour, members of the PMC since 2008.

Unfortunately, as of 2019, human rights defenders are no longer represented in the ONC of Altai Krai.

After Ildar's release from the colony, I still saw mention of him in the media for some time, but the more time passed since his release, the less often his name was mentioned.

Being already in exile I once heard a short interview with him as a volunteer of the Siberian battalion fighting on the side of Ukraine. I did not expect anything else from him. People like him always fight on the bright side.

In my mind Ildar's image is something similar to the image of my fellow countryman Vasily Shukshin, the same stubborn truth-seeker.

Vasily Shukshin made many wonderful films, including the film ‘There Lives Such a Guy’.

Ildar Dadin was only 42 years old on 14 April.

I would like to express my condolences to Ildar Dadin's family and friends.

May another hero and truth-seeker rest in peace. 

 6 October 2024

Alexander Goncharenko, Chairman of the Altai Territory ONC (2008-2016), Russian political emigrant